Just getting started part time, could use some seasoned advice

[skystallion]

Howdy everyone,

I passed my part 107 exam yesterday. I took the exam because I read up about Bees360 (drone pilot contracting service for the insurance industry) and I realized I could help make ends meet with my large family while flying my drone. The idea of making a living flying a drone fits me very well. I love spending my day outdoors, I very much enjoy flying my mini 2, and I have a professional background in electronics and software.

Unfortunately, after passing the exam, I started the process of signing up for Bees360 and realized, it may not pay very well.

I found ya'lls forum and thought I would reach out to you all for advice. I can only work part time because I currently stay home and raise my 7 kids ages 2 through 17. I can probably fit in one or two 5 hour work days a week for the time being until my 2 year old is old enough to attend school regularly. I am interested in being very professional, building up enough experience to charge a normal industry rate, and to put out the best product possible. I see a lot of venting on the forum about recreational flyers doing subpar work at low prices, that is not my interest.

Fortunately for me, I live in a booming town in Taylor TX right next to the new Samsung semicondutor plant that is almost finished being constructed, so I assume I am close to a lot of drone work.

My questions to ya'll, if you were in my situation (able to work part time for the time being):
What would be your next step?
What would be your long term plan?
What advice do you have for a beginner like me?
What alternatives to Bees360 would you recommend?

Thank you everyone for your time!

 

[MapMaker53]

Hi Skystallion. Sounds like you have a full domestic schedule there. Yeah, those drone for hire services generally don't pay much. And unless the job assignments are very close by, you will probably find your overhead costs (gas, tolls, vehicle wear and tear, equipment, etc.) will eat away at any profits. My advice would be to find a local established drone photography and mapping service and try to get part time work with them. That could open the door to full-time work down the line. Here is a Better Business Bureau list of aerial photography companies supposedly near Taylor TX, but, not being familiar with Texas, I'm not sure how close they really are to you.

You should also study the competition in your area and see if there is room in the local market for you to provide this service. If you can provide a similar service at a slightly lower hourly rate than the competition (but good enough for an added income), some business may come your way. Naturally, you will need to get the word out about your service.

Best of luck!

 

[MapMaker53]

Another piece of advice, if you get into this work, would be to learn a photo and video editing software, because rarely is any photography taken by a drone perfect. You will usually want to tweak it a bit or edit video footage. There are free softwares out there that you can use for that. For photo editing, there is GIMP. And for a professional-level free video editing software, there is Davinci Resolve by Blackmagic Design. But there are others.

 

[skystallion]

Another piece of advice, if you get into this work, would be to learn a photo and video editing software, because rarely is any photography taken by a drone perfect. You will usually want to tweak it a bit or edit video footage. There are free softwares out there that you can use for that. For photo editing, there is GIMP. And for a professional-level free video editing software, there is Davinci Resolve by Blackmagic Design. But there are others.

Thank you for both responses. I am already fairly adept with GIMP. I like to use Shotcut for video editing, it is rather feature rich and free.